2008 D e c i sion s O p inion s of the U nit e d S t at e s C our t of Appe al s for the Thir d C ir c uit 2-20-2008 

# U SA v . S mith P r e c e de nt i al or N on-P r e c e de nt i al : N on-P r e c e de nt i al D ocke t N o . 06-4410

F o llow thi s and a dd it ion al work s at : http://d i git alc ommon s .l a w . vi ll anova . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2008

Thi s de c i sion i s br ou ght t o you for f r e e and ope n a c c e s s b y the O p inion s of the U nit e d S t at e s C our t of Appe al s for the Thir d C ir c uit at V i ll anova U nive r sity S choo l of L a

w Di git al Reposit ory

. It h as be e n a c c ept e d for inclusion in 2008 D e c i sion s b y an authori z e d a dmini s tr at or of V i ll anova U nive r sity S choo l of L a

w Di git al Reposit ory

. F or mor e inform at ion, p le as e c ont a ct Be n j amin . C arl s on@l a

w . vi ll anova . e du . Re c omme nde d C it at ion " U SA v . S mith" (2008). 2008 D e cisio n s . P ape r 1574. http://d i git alc ommon s .l a

w . vi ll anova . e du/thir dc ir c uit_2008/1574S m ith ’s att o rne yfil ed a b ri ef u n d er A n d e rs v . C a lif

o rn ia , 386 U . S. 738 ( 1967) , and a 1 m o tio n to w ith d ra w a s c o u rt-a p p o in ted c o u n se l. S m ith w a s p ro v id e d w ith th e o p p o rtu n ity t o fi l e a pr o- s e br i ef butdi d notdo s o. NOT P RE CE DE NT I AL UN I TED STATES CO UR T OF A PP EALS F O R T H E T H IR D C IR C U IT N o. 06- 4410 UNI TE D ST ATE S OF AM ERI CA

v . DONNI E L L . S M I T H,

A ppel l ant O n A p p ea l from the U n it ed S tat es D istri ct C o u rt

forthe D i s tr i ctof N ew J er s ey D . C . C ri m inal N o . 9 9 -cr-07 3 8 -1 ( H onor abl e J er om e B . Si m andl e) Subm i tt ed Pur s uantt o T hi r d C i r cui tL A R 34. 1( a)

J anuary17, 2008 B e f o re : S C IR IC A , C hi ef

Judge , B A R R Y a n d R O T H , C i r cui tJudges . ( Fi l ed: February20, 2008) OPI NI ON O F THE COURT S C IR IC A , C hi ef

Judge . D onni el Sm i th appea l s hi s s ent ence , s peci fi cal l ythe r evoca t i on of hi s s upervi s ed r e l e a s e , r e s u l t i n g i n a s e n t e n c e o f twe n ty - o n e mo n th s i n c a r c e r a t i o n . W e wi l l a f f i r m. 12

Sm i th w as on s upervi s ed r el eas e. C ondi t i ons of r el eas e pr ohi bi t ed Sm i th fr om 1) comm i t t i ng a fe der al , s t at e, orl ocal cr i m e; 2) fr equent i ng pl ace s w her e contr ol l ed su b sta n c e s a re ill e g a llyso ld , u se d , d istrib u ted , o r a d m in iste re d ; an d 3 ) a ss o c iatin g w ith per s ons engage d i n cr i m i nal act i vi ty , and as s oci at i ng w i th anyper s on convi ct ed of a f e lo n yu n le s s g ra n te d p e rm is s io n to d o s o b ya p ro b a tio n o f f ic e r. W hi l e att endi ng a gr aduat i on cer emony , Sm i th and s ever al other s w er e t aken i n by the pol i ce f

orques t i oni ng r egar di ng a homi ci de. T he foc us of the murde ri nves t i gat i on, A zi z G i l l i ar d, w as s i t t i ng nearSm i th dur i ng the gr aduat i on. G i l l i ar d had bee n arr es t ed s ever al t i m es and had s ever al fel onychar ges agai ns thi m . Sm i th i nform ed hi s pr obat i on offi cerof the cont actw i th l aw enfor cement ; s he advi s ed hi m t o r efr ai n fr om fur ther a s s o c ia tio n w ith G illia rd . Seeki ng t o arr es tG i l l i ar d, the G overnm entexec ut ed a s ear ch w arr antthati ncl uded the home of G i l l i ar d’ s ex- gi r l fr i end w ho w as l i vi ng w i th herm otherand br other s . A tt he t i m e of the s ear ch, Sm i th w as dat i ng the mot herof G i l l i ar d’ s ex- gi r l fr i end, s pendi ng one t o tw o ni ght s a w eek a tthe r es i dence . D ur i ng the s ear ch, pol i ce di s cover ed 3, 000 ind ividu all yw rap p ed b ri ck s o f h ero in stored in a re frige rator in the b ed roo m o f S m ith ’s gi r l fr i end, a bedr oom thatSm i th i dent i fi ed t o the pol i ce a s hi s . Sm i th’ s gi r l fr i end t ol d t he p o lic e th e d ru g s p ro b a b ly b e lo n g e d to S m ith a n d th a t h e w a s in v o lv e d in th e s a le o f d ru g s . G i l l i ar d had bee n i n t he r es i dence the ni ghtbefor e the s ear ch and ha d acc es s t o the refr i gerat or. S m i th an d G i l l i ard, tho ug h n ot cl ose fri end s, w ere acquaint ances.3

Sm i th w as arr es t ed and c har ged w i th pos s es s i on of a c ontr ol l ed dange r ous s ubs t ance w i th t he i nt entt o di s tr i but e, and di s tr i but i on orpos s es s i on of a c ontr ol l ed d a n g e ro u s s u b sta n c e w ith in 1 ,0 0 0 f e e t o f a sc h o o l. T h e P ro b a tio n O f f ice c h a rg e d S m ith w i th vi ol at i ng the thr ee c ondi t i ons of hi s s upervi s ed r el eas e. Fol l ow i ng a r evoca t i on hear i ng, the D i s tr i ctC our tfound Sm i th had vi ol at ed al l thr ee c ondi t i ons of hi s r el eas e and se n ten c e d h im to tw e n ty -o n e m o n th s im p riso n m e n t. O urr evi ew r evea l s defe ns e couns el thor oughl ycons i der ed al l pl aus i bl e bas es for appea l and s etfor th i n t he A nd ers br i ef w hys uch i s s ues w er e l egal l yfr i vol ous . C ouns el e x a m in e d a t le n g th th e re v o c a tio n h e a ri n g re c o rd , th e e v id e n c e , a n d o th e r d o c u m e n ts . B as ed on ourow n exami nat i on of the r ecor d, w e conc l ude thatcouns el s at i s fi ed the req u ir em en ts of

T h ir d C ir cu itL o ca l A p p ell ate R u le 10 9 . 2 (a) u n d er A nd ers . D efe ns e couns el r ai s ed fourpot ent i al i s s ues , di s cus s i ng eac h i n turn: 1) the r evoca t i on hear i ng w as notconduct ed i n acc or dance w i th cons t i tut i onal due pr oces s ; 2) the governm entfai l ed t o m eeti t s bur den; 3) the s ent ence w as notl egal ; and 4) i neff ect i ve as s i s t ance of couns el . W e do notor di nar i l ycons i deri neff ect i ve as s i s t ance cl ai m s on di r ectr evi ew , as s uch cl ai m s ar e “be s tdeci ded i n the fi r s ti ns t ance i n a col l at er al act i on. ” U ni t ed Stat es v. Thornton , 3 2 7 F .3 d 2 6 8 , 2 7 2 (3 d C ir . 2 0 0 3 ).T he mi ni m um due pr oces s r equi r ement s ar e: 2 ( a) w r i t t en not i ce of

the cl ai m ed vi ol at i ons of par ol e; ( b) di s cl os ur e t o the par ol ee of evi dence agai ns thi m ; ( c) oppor tuni tyt o be hea r d i n per s on and t o pr es entw i tnes s es and document aryevi dence ; ( d) the r i ghtt o confr ontand cr os s - exami ne adve r s e w i tnes s es (un less the h ea ri n g o ff

icer sp ec ifi ca ll yfin d s g o o d ca u se f o r no t al low ing co n fro n tat ion ); ( e) a ‘ neutr al and det ache d’ hear i ng bodys uch as a tr adi t i onal par ol e boar d, m ember s of w hi ch nee d notbe j udi ci al offi cer s orl aw y er s ; and ( f) a w r i t t en s t at ementbythe f a c tf in d e rs a s to th e e v id e n c e re lie d o n a n d re a s o n s f o r r e v o k in g p a ro le . Mor r is s ey , 4 0 8 U .S . a t 4 8 9 . S m ith v io late d th e f

irst tw o c o n d iti o n s o f

h is re lea se b e c a u se h e ro in w a s f o u n d in 3 S m ith ’s s e lf

-p ro c laim e d b e d ro o m a n d h is g irlfr ien d to ld p o lice th a t th e h e ro in b e lo n g e d to S m ith an d that h e so ld d rug s. S m ith ’s asso ciati o n w ith G il li ard v iolated th e third (c o n tin u e d ...) 4 Fi r s t , the Supr eme C our ti n Mor r is s ey v . B r ew er , 4 0 8 U . S . 4 7 1 , 4 8 0 (19 7 2 ), e sta b lish e d th e m in im u m d u e p ro c e ss re q u ire m e n ts f o r a re v o c a tio n h e a rin g . S m ith 2 re c e iv e d w ritten n o tice a n d d isc lo su re o f th e e v id e n c e a g a in st h im , ex e rc ise d h is a b ili tyto c o n f r o n ta n d c r o s s - e x a mi n e wi tn e s s e s th r o u g h c o u n s e l , a n d p r e s e n t e d e v i d e n c e i n h i s o wn defe ns e. T he D i s tr i ctC our texec ut ed a w r i t t en s t at ementof fa ctand conc l us i ons s uppor t i ng i t s deci s i on t o r evoke s upervi s ed r el eas e. A ccor di ngl y , the r evoca t i on hear i ng w as cond ucted i n acco rdance w i th d ue p rocess requi rem ents . Second, the D i s tr i ctC our tm us tfi nd bya pr eponder ance of evi dence the def endant v io la te d a c o n d itio n o f

s u p e rv is e d re le a s e . U

ni t ed Stat es v. Loy , 237 F. 3d 251, 260 ( 3d C ir. 2 0 0 1 ). T h e c o u rt m a yc o n sid e r e v id e n c e th a t w o u ld o th e rw ise n o t b e a d m iss ib le in a n a d v e rs a ry c ri m in a l p ro c e e d in g . Mor r is s ey , 408 U . S. at489. T her e i s s uffi ci ent evi dence t o s uppor tthe D i s tr i ctC our t ’ s fi ndi ng thatSm i th vi ol at ed the thr ee c ondi t i ons of s upervi s ed r el eas e. 3( . . . cont i nued) 3 co n d it ion o f su p erv ised release . G il li ard ’s ex -girl frien d ad m itted G il li ard an d S m ith w ere acqua i nt ance s , and thattheyw er e atherhom e atthe s ame t i m e the daybefor e the w arr ant w a s e x e c u ted . A f

ter th e g ra d u a tio n c e re m o n y , S m ith ’s p ro b a tio n o f f ice r w a rn e d h im a g a in s t f u rt h e r c o n ta c t w ith G illia rd . 5 T hi r d, underU . S. S. G . § 7B 1. 1( b) , w her e ther e i s m or e than one vi ol at i on of the con dit i on s of sup ervi si on , the g rade i s det erm i ned bythe v i olat i on hav i ng the m ost s er i ous gr ade. V i ol at i on of the fi r s tcondi t i on w as a gr ade A vi ol at i on, w hi l e vi ol at i ons of the s econd a nd thi r d condi t i ons w er e gr ade C. U . S. S. G . § 7B 1. 1( a) ( 1) , ( 3) . T he gr ade A vi ol at i on contr ol l ed, and ca r r i ed a r ecomm ended s ent ence of ei ght een t o tw enty - four m o n ths. T h e g u ideline c alcu lat ion w as n o t cha ll en g ed at sen tenc ing . T h e D istri ct C o u rt im p o s e d a s e n te n c e o f

tw e n ty-o n e m o n th s , w ith in th e g u id e lin e ra n g e . A c c o rd in g ly , the re a re n o n o n -f riv o lo u s a rg u m e n ts ra ise d in th is a p p e a l. Forthe for egoi ng r eas ons , w e w i l l aff i r m the j udgm entand s ent ence of the D i s tr i ct C our t . D efe ns e couns el ’ s m ot i on t o w i thdr aw i s gr ant ed.